Multinational exercise Defender 23 kicks off this month in Europe
More than 20,000 multinational troops are expected to participate in the Defender 23 exercise kicking off April 22.
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Live fire accuracy screening at DEFENDER-Europe 22
U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, line up before conducting a live fire accuracy screening test as part of Defender Europe 22 at Mielno Range at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, May 11, 2022. The exercise demonstrates U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s ability to conduct large scale ground combat operations across multiple theaters in support of NATO.
Photo by: Spc. Hedil Hernandez
"This annual, nearly two-month long exercise is focused on the strategic deployment of U.S.-based forces, employment of Army pre-positioned stocks and interoperability with European allies and partners," said Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, during a briefing April 6, 2023, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The Defender 23 exercise is led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa and has been planned since 2021. The exercise is designed to demonstrate the U.S. military's ability to rapidly deploy combat-credible troops and equipment to assure allies, deter those who would threaten the peace of Europe and defend the continent from aggression. The exercise also demonstrates the commitment of European nations to increase the scale, capability and interoperability of their own militaries.
Defender 23 will include multinational troops from more than 20 Allied and partner nations.
Singh said equipment to support the exercise began arriving this week in Spain. About 7,000 pieces of equipment were shipped to the European theater from the U.S., she said. Additionally, about 13,000 pieces of equipment, drawn from pre-positioned stock, will be used during Defender 23.
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